Pub Date: 12 April 2022
I love a good journal. There’s something absolutely fascinating about getting inside someone’s head and journals are the best way to achieve that. A favorite I read recently was Kurt Cobain’s controversial Journals. Controversial because he didn’t exactly authorize their publishing and were considered more of a cash grab by Courtney Love, or so the interweb rumors go.
That controversy makes it a great read for the voyeur, who just can’t help but “read and judge”. (Reference to Kurt’s handwritten cover, “If you read you’ll judge.”) Highly recommend for the Kurt/Nirvana fans and anyone else who adores slinks into other stoner/rocker/rebels’ minds.
Alice Walker’s journals are an awe-inspiring collection. They range from her early twenties all the way into her fifties, and you get the chance to follow along her whole adult life, a rare written journey. Starting in 1965 and ending in 2000 the world around her changes dramatically, but my favorite part was how her focus shifted inwards.
In her younger years she was more concerned about world issues and politics, but as she ages she focuses much more on personal relationships, on what’s best for herself, and connecting with nature. She learns lessons and thinks through situations through her writing, and another cool aspect was seeing her develop ideas for future published works. I really enjoyed this journal and I believe anyone who wishes to be a successful writer would enjoy reading Alice Walker’s journals.
Thank you to the publisher Simon and Schuster for providing an eARC of this book for review.
Literary Luxie 